East Durham College Equine

This is Drake!
Drake is 14 years old, 16.2hh and is an Irish Draught.
Drake came to Houghall in 2022 after his owner did her work experience here and decided that she loved the yard so wanted her horse to live here too! Drake's owner's little sister also has a pony here called Holly who will be in the next post.
Drake took no settling in at all, it was like he had always been here, he is great for all types of sessions, care and ride alike. He is ridden by anyone, the type that can step up and step right down to complete beginners.
Drake is competed by his owner, they have done some show-jumping and dressage, they love to go to the beach and to pleasure rides, they have even had a go at horse-back archery!
Before his current owner bought Drake he did some time doing stunt riding training at Kynren and he also had some time at Beamish (pics included.)
He is a real jack of all trades and can be used for everything, he is a favourite amongst the students for his versatility and laid back personality. 🌟

Today's horse is Mojo.
Mojo came to us just before Christmas 2021 with his half-brother, Sonny.
Mojo is 12 this year and stands at around 14.1hh.
Mojo has a lovely, inquisitive nature, he is great for all aspects of care and groundwork, he loves to be groomed, plaited up, bathed etc and is great to lunge, long rein and free school. Mojo is a sensitive ride so currently is only ridden by one of our lecturers, Felicity, who he goes really well for and loves schooling and going for a hack.
Mojo can be a very talkative boy and can be energetic at turning out time, be quick to get the head collar off after he's been in for a long day he wants to be free!
If anyone has any pictures or memories to share with Mojo please feel free in the comments 😁

This is sonny!
Sonny arrived at Houghall just before Christmas 2021 along side his half-brother, Mojo (same sire, different dam).
Sonny is 12 years old and is 14.3hh.
Sonny has a very kind personality, loves to be fussed over and is a fantastic horse for all kinds of practical & care sessions.
He is a fantastic lunge horse, good to be long reined and free schooled. Sonny was backed previous to coming here but then he continued his education once he got here, hacking, schooling and pole work, he was a very good boy, however, has a little bit of a sensitive mouth and prefers being ridden with very soft hands, or bitless, due to this he isn't ridden by the students currently.
We have included some pictures from his previous home where he and Mojo grew up together from being 6 months old, they are still the best of friends to this day.
You may notice in one of the pictures, they used to chew each-other's tails when they were young, thankfully they have grown out of that!
If anyone has any pictures or memories with Sonny, please feel free to comment them below 🥰

Today's horse is Lady.
Lady came to Houghall in early 2020, she alongside her owner used to do a lot of endurance riding and hacking out, which they both loved! Lady hadn't done too much in the way of schooling and jumping, but now she is well schooled, lunges and likes her jumping too.
Lady is 14 this year, is 15hh and is a firm favourite by all for both ridden and practical sessions. She is very calm, patient and forgiving which makes her the perfect horse to have at the yard. She is an easy keeper and likes to please, likes being bathed and plaited up.
Her owner rides her side saddle and her grandchildren all ride lady at the weekends and during hoildays, she is a true family horse.
Lady is pictured with her foal who she had with a previous owner, so precious.
If you have any pics or memories you would like to share of Lady, please feel free in the comments. 🦄

Todays horse is Mini Jack!
Jack came to us in 2021 alongside another pony who was owned by his owners' sister, Dairy. We already had another Jack at the time so we nick named him 'Mini Jack', Big Jack was retired but we still kept his nick name! Jack is a 12hh mini cob and will be around 27 this year! He does not let his age show really as he is a speedy little pony to lunge, he loves it, however he is not ridden any more.
When Jack came to us he was a fully hairy cob but since then he has developed Sweet Itch so now he is clipped out and hogged to make his treatment more manageable and to keep him more comfortable.
Jack is a real favourite with everyone that meets him, he is small, cute and cuddly, what's not to love? He is very calm and patient with everyone which makes him a great horse to use for practical and care sessions too.
If anyone has any pics and memories of Mini Jack, please feel free to comment below! 🌟🥰

Today's horse is Lily!
Lily arrived to Houghall in 2020, she was born in Belgium and imported to the UK in 2016 to her old owners before the college bought her in 2021. Lily is a17hh KWPN and is turning 16 this year.
Lily is very well bred with her sire, brothers and sisters all being show jumpers, jumping from 1.10-1.30m. Lily jumped around the 1.10 mark as well before coming to the UK. She still loves to jump and can make a nice shape during flatwork too, lunges well and loves to go for a hack out. Lily is very calm and sensible to handle but can be a little sensitive at times so a gentle handler is needed.
The dark grey horse is Lily when she was around 4 years old in Belgium. If you have any pics or memories with Lily that you would like to share, please feel free to in the comments. 🦄

Today's meet the horse is Henry. Henry is a pure bred Irish Draught and stands at 17hh. He is 16 this year and he came to us in 2021. He has done quite a lot in his life, most recently before coming here he was owned and hunted by his 78 year old owner! He is very well schooled, is fabulous to hack alone or in company and also enjoys a jump. He is very laid back but can be persuaded to put in more effort and work very well. He is a well mannered boy who loves a fuss, but he does like to tell you when his hay has ran out!
He is very well bred so I have attached some photos of his sire (dad) the chestnut at the end of the post, his dam (mam) the grey, and his grandsire.
If anyone would like to share any pics or memories with Henry in the comments, please feel free! 😄

Next up is Ernie! Ernie has been at Houghall since 2018, how cute was she when she was a foal, she is 13 now and stands at 15hh🥰
Ernie has had a go at almost everything you can think of including le trec and horseball!
Although Ernie is not used for any care sessions as she doesn't generally like too much fuss and attention, she a fantastic ridden horse for the more experienced rider, she is a jumping machine! Ernie loves to hack out with our staff members on none-student days and loves a cuddle in the field.
If anyone has any pictures or memories with Ernie please feel free to comment them below!

Next up is Betty. Betty arrived at Houghall in 2018 when her owner had just had a baby for a short loan period and never left! She is the perfect college horse for both the care and ridden sides of life. She has been there and done almost everything and is anyone's ride, being able to step up or down depending on rider ability. She is a little older now at 22 so is starting to slow up a little with her jumping and harder work but is still a trooper and works very well across the board! If anyone would like to share a picture or a memory of Betty please feel free to comment below 🦄

As the new college term will be starting in a matter of weeks we thought this would be the perfect time for everyone to get to know our horses!
First up we are starting with Heidi 🌟
Heidi has been at Houghall since 2017 so she knows the place inside out, she is a super star and is loved by everyone that meets her. She is an older lady (27 this year!) so she has started to slow down slightly, she does some slower paced ridden lessons and is perfect for beginners to learn on and is great to teach students how to lunge. Heidi does not jump any more or do anything too strenuous. Heidi is perfect for all stable management and care sessions as she is so calm, gentle and patient in her nature.

If anyone would like to share a memory or picture with Heidi in the comments, please feel free, we would love to see them!